Page 10 - MetalForming October 2011

News Fronts
Letter to Editor
I’ve just read Michael Bleau’s article, Co-ops and Appren- ticeships: Bring Them Back (June 2011), for the second time, and I agree with him as far as our government’s ability to manage apprenticeship programs. It really shouldn’t be their area of concern.
However, as a retired secondary education teacher and current fabrication-shop owner, I believe there is one area that requires addressing: Our school systems do not give our students the incentive to begin trade opportunities at an early age. I’ve seen our education system attempt to cram academics down the throats of teens when instead they should be encouraged to find their “gifts” as far as the trade that most excites them. Some of our students will never attend college because, believe it or not, college and aca- demics aren’t for everyone.
Instead, we should indentify the young people who have a gift for working with their hands and place them in trade pro- grams early, while also providing them with the necessary basic academic and daily living skills. In this way, we can once again develop a workforce with a passion for a job well done.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Miller
Miller Mechanical Services, Inc.
Agreements
Oberg Strategic Partnership Bolsters Laser-Processing Capabilities
Precision metalforming company Oberg Industries, Freeport, PA, has bolstered its welding-support services through a strategic alliance with Industrial Laser Sys- tems, LLC (ILS), Pittsburgh, PA. ILS provides laser-tech- nology process evaluation, testing, and production-equip- ment selection.
“With the addition of ILS,” says Oberg’s Wes Elliott, vice president of business and technical development, “we are better prepared to help OEMs select from a variety of welding processes that best fit their specific needs.”
ILS has relocated to Oberg’s campus in Sarver, PA, and will collaborate with Oberg on development programs, prototyping and short-run pro- duction projects. Oberg will continue its strategic partner- ship with Joining Technolo- gies, Granby, CT, on high-vol- ume laser-welded production assemblies, electron-beam welding and other projects.
Mazak Optonics Adds
Denver Distributor
Laser-cutting-system man- ufacturer Mazak Optonics, Elgin, IL, added Action Machinery Intl., Denver, CO, to its legion of distributors. Action Machinery supplies metal-fabricating equipment and machine tools in the Rocky Mountain region and throughout northern Califor- nia. It operates a 10,000- sq.-ft. technology center equipped with new and used machinery.
Lincoln Electric Announces Acquisitions
The Lincoln Electric Co., Cleveland, OH, has acquired the welding-operation assets of Techalloy Co., Inc., Balti- more, MD, and its parent company Central Wire Indus- tries, to expand its product portfolio of high-alloy welding consumables. Also, the firm announced its acquisition of Applied Robotics, Inc. (known by its Torchmate brand name), a manufacturer of CNC plasma- and oxyfuel-cut- ting tables and accessories.
Fisher-Barton Acquires
Manufacturer of
Industrial Knives
The Fisher-Barton Group, Waukesha, WI, acquired Zenith Cutter Co., Loves Park, IL. Zenith, a supplier of machine knives and acces- sories to the corrugated
products, plastics, tree-care, roofing, textile and wood products industries, will oper- ate as an independent divi- sion. Fisher-Barton, in addi- tion to Zenith, comprises six business units throughout the United States that manu- facture lawn-mower blades and agricultural knives, power-transmission compo- nents, metal stampings and heattreated weldments.
Federal Equipment Co.
Acquires Conveyor
Manufacturer
Defense-industry supplier Federal Equipment Co., Cincinnati, OH, acquired TKF, Inc., also in Cincinnati, a manufacturer and installer of conveying systems. TKF’s product line includes recipro- cating and continuous verti- cal conveyors, overhead, monorail and power and free
conveyors and a variety of custom-engineered material- handling systems.
Hess Allies with Turkish Manufacturer of Flowforming and Hot-
Spinning Equipment
Hess Industries, Niles, MI, a manufacturer of metal- forming machines, cells and integrated systems, has col- laborated with Turkish manu- facturer Repkon to form Metal Smart. The new ven- ture will combine the R & D, prototyping and support capabilities of the two com- panies to offer customers a broader range of technology options. Repkon manufac- tures advanced metalforming equipment, with an empha- sis on flowforming, shear forming and hot spinning.
Awards
Trumpf Recognizes
Distributor Excellence
Three machinery distribu- tors recently received 2011 awards for sales excellence from Trumpf Inc., Farmington, CT. Fabricating Machine Tech- nology, Cleveland, OH, received the Outstanding Dis- tributor Performance Award; Mid-Atlantic Machinery, Har- risburg, PA, received the Sus- tained Excellence Award; and Metalforte, Monterrey, Mexi- co, received the Most Improved Performance Award.
Hypertherm Earns
OSHA Recognition
The U.S. Dept. of Labor has bestowed its OSHA VPP (Voluntary Protection Pro- gram) Star worksite status upon Hypertherm, Hanover, NH, a manufacturer of
8 MetalForming/October 2011
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